Home is where the heart is - but it's away from the Riverside where Middlesbrough are feeling most comfortable these days.

It was an afternoon when Garry Monk had to get a performance from his side - and the Boro boss can sleep easy tonight. His team delivered when it mattered.

Boro travelled to Reading looking to avoid a sixth consecutive Championship game without a win - something last endured on Teesside in September 2013 during the final days of Tony Mowbray.

But it never looked likely at the Madejski Stadium. Not this time.

Captain Grant Leadbitter and striker Britt Assombalonga got the goals and it was a thoroughly professional performance from a side who have been feeling the heat - particularly at home - in recent weeks.

Playing away has become something of a luxury. Boro have picked up nine points from their last five away games - a contrast to their struggles on home soil.

And on an afternoon when Boro showed a different side to their game - an awkward side - supporters will return to the North-east hoping this is a watershed moment in the club's campaign.

It's been a slow start, there's no doubt about that. But Boro are now just two points behind the likes of Aston Villa and Norwich, and three off Leeds - all of whom will be content with their early-season tally.

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Reading 0 Boro 2

For Monk, it's a result that will convince a few doubters - and it will inevitably lift a group of players who have endured a tough time of late.

Boro showed their mettle and secured a vital result when they needed to. There's plenty of life left in this season.

Here's how the game panned out:

The skipper's snarling contribution

Before the game Fatboy Slim's 'Right Here, Right Now' echoed around the Madejski Stadium - exactly the message that will have reverberated around the away dressing room after Boro's quiet start to the season.

And although it won't win any awards for entertainment, Boro's players obliged - producing a snarling first-half performance that proved too much for a timid Reading side unrecognisable from the one beaten in the play-off final last season.

Boro were nastier than Reading. They were stronger, faster, a pain to play against - and that's something that Monk's men have to repeat over the coming weeks.

It's been too nice to play against Boro at times this season. Monk's side have allowed their opponents to ease their way into matches, given them encouragement in attack & missed a catalogue of chances to spare their rivals' blushes at the other end.

But this was a suggestion that things have changed - hopefully. It was a slow start in Berkshire, but then Boro started to show their teeth.

Nobody epitomised that more than captain Grant Leadbitter, uncompromising as ever in Boro's midfield. After watching the first 10 minutes drift into insignificance with barely a shot registered from either side, the skipper had seen enough.

Grant Leadbitter celebrates at Reading (Image: James Griffiths)

He grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck. He rallied his teammates - and got Boro moving forward.

His Reading counterpart, Joey van den Berg, tried to respond - but a rush of blood to the head proved costly as his lazy challenge on 14 minutes set Boro on their way.

Britt Assombalonga, forever on the move, nipped ahead of the Dutchman and was sent sprawling - with referee Oliver Langford pointing to the penalty spot without hesitation.

Moments later, Leadbitter pumped his fist - an outpouring of emotion in front of the travelling away fans as his penalty fizzed past goalkeeper Vito Mannone and into the roof of the net.

Immediately after Reading restarted, Leadbitter barked instructions at his teammates. 'Concentrate' - a message that has often fallen on deaf ears this season, but not this time. Not on Leadbitter's watch.

From there, Boro rarely looked in danger. It was a first half that won't be remembered for the football, but it will have been pleasing to watch for Monk - as Britt Assombalonga terrorised the Reading defenders, got in their ears and played the role of wind-up merchant.

Boro unsettled their nervous hosts from the outset, and it's easy to see why. The Royals came into the game without a win on home soil since August, having lost three of their last four at the Madejski Stadium.

Martin Braithwaite slotted just behind Assombalonga in a 4-2-3-1 and was a nuisance, while wide men Stewart Downing and Marcus Tavernier - the latter making his league debut after a series of exciting displays in the Carabao Cup - offered energy and balance.

In truth, the first half never really got going with a series of injuries halting play, the most notable when Reading centre-backs Liam Moore and Tiago Ilori were involved in a nasty aerial collision that resulted in a lengthy stoppage.

Tiago Ilori is forced off for Reading (Image: Get Reading)

The latter came off worse, forced off on a stretcher and replaced by ex-Manchester United rookie Tyler Blackett, while it was Boro pair Daniel Ayala and Ben Gibson's turn to go down moments after the restart after a similar crunch.

But Boro's pairing were made of sterner stuff. And so were their teammates.

Assombalonga wound up the Reading defenders. He spent much of the game whispering into Paul McShane's ear. He was an awkward customer - and it tipped the scales in Boro's favour.

The ex-Sunderland defender bit, and was the first into the referee's notebook. Assombalonga had done his job.

The statistics showed only one shot on target from either side in the opening period - and that was Leadbitter's penalty. But that didn't matter one bit.

There was a brief moment of concern before the break as former Boro transfer target Chris Gunter found space and crossed for teenage debutant Sam Smith - but his glanced header was watched wide by Darren Randolph.

As the home fans voiced their frustration after seven minutes of stoppage time, the Boro fans applauded. It wasn't glamorous - but it was effective.

Déjà vu on the road

Reading improved after the break and started the second half on the front foot, providing a stern test of Boro's previously-leaky back-line.

Heading into the game, Monk's men had gone six games without a clean sheet in all competitions - with many of their recent setbacks self-inflicted.

But for as much of the ball as the Royals had, Boro looked comfortable - with full-backs Cyrus Christie and Fabio staying tight to their centre-halves and offering a much-needed solidity.

And it was Boro who looked most dangerous on the counter attack, with Assombalonga getting the better of McShane before the hour mark and darting into the box, but dragging his shot harmlessly wide of the far post.

That continued to be the intriguing side-show of the half, with Boro's record signing proving a constant nuisance, and his hard work was soon rewarded as he celebrated his seventh goal of the season.

Assombalonga celebrates (Image: James Griffiths)

It was like being back at Bolton. A simple cross from the right, an excellent spot this time by Jonny Howson, and Assombalonga made no mistake with a powerful close-range header.

And as he tailed away, Reading's defenders must have rolled their eyes. "It had to be him".

It was a goal that restored belief on Teesside. It was a goal that lifted all the tension and anxiety that inevitably comes after a sticky sequence of results.

And it was a goal that was soon followed by the catchy 'woke up this morning' chant that has been heard at a handful of away grounds this season. Boro had their swagger back.

Reading did pour forward in the final knockings looking for an avenue back into the game, but Boro dug in deep and saw out the job.

The loud boos that rung out at the final whistle were music to the ears for Monk and Boro.